There are no applications related to this application filed in this or any foreign country.
Water moving into storm water drainage openings may move debris and other foreign material into the storm water and sewage system. The foreign matter may include leaves and twigs from trees, litter, rocks, dirt, garbage and other undesirable waste. This and other foreign matter may over time accumulate within sewer and storm pipes, catch basins and the like, to the extent that it must be removed to prevent a malfunction of the sewer and storm water drainage system.
As seen in FIG. 1, Prior Art, a typical approach to removing the accumulated foreign material is to use a vacuum machine. Such vacuum machines draw the foreign material from the sewer system into the holding tank of a large truck. Due to the limited space within the tanker truck, the goal is to maximize the amount of foreign material while minimizing the amount of water.
The vacuum equipped tanker truck typically used has a hose terminating in a rigid vacuum pipe segment 100 that is lowered into the storm water pipe 150, sewer pipe or catch basin. The end of the vacuum pipe is positioned near the bottom of the storm water pipe. A high-pressure water hose 110 is snaked into the storm water pipe. Water 120 released from the hose dislodges debris 160 on the bottom of the storm water pipe. A mixture of dislodged debris and water is then vacuumed into the vacuum pipe and stored in the tanker truck. Unfortunately, due to the design of known vacuum pipe segments, several problems result.
A first problem is that a substantial quantity of pass-by debris 130 passes the vacuum pipe as it moves down the storm water pipe under the influence of the water released from the hose. This debris is therefore simply relocated within the sewer and storm water pipe.
A second problem is that too much water and too little debris is vacuumed, and tanker trucks quickly become filled in this manner without contributing significantly to the problem of debris removal.
In view of this result, what is needed is a sewer-cleaning tool, which increases the amount of debris removed, while minimizes the amount of water removed from a storm water line, sewer line or catch basin. The sewer-cleaning tool must be readily adapted for installation on the vacuum pipe segment present on existing vacuum equipped tanker trucks, and must be easily installed and removed.
The present invention is directed to an apparatus that satisfies the above needs. A novel sewer-cleaning tool is easily installed on, and removed from, the tube segment present on existing vacuum equipped tanker trucks. During a cleaning process, the sewer-cleaning tool increases the amount of debris, and minimizes the amount of water, removed from a storm water line, sewer line or catch basin.
A preferred sewer-cleaning tool of the present invention provides some or all of the following structures.
(A) A sleeve 20 has an inside diameter sized incrementally greater than the outside diameter of a pipe 100, and therefore may be installed over the end of the pipe. The sleeve defines left, right and rear adjustment slots that allow attachment to the pipe 100 that allows the tool to be adjusted to the amount of flow within the storm water line, or combined storm and sanitary lines, or sanitary sewer lines by bolts or similar fasteners. The sleeve also defines bolts holes that allow one of two different industry standard quick couplers to be connected, thereby allowing for rapid installation and removal of the tool from the existing tubes found on all existing vacuum equipped tanker trucks. The adjustments slots are oriented vertically, thereby allowing the sleeve to be slid up or down on the pipe to select a position which maximizes removal of debris, while minimizing water removal by allowing the distance between the main body 42 of the scoop 40 and the lower rim 110 of the pipe 100 to be changed. By regulating the adjustment slots in this manner, compensation may be made for the relative quantities of debris and water, as well as for the nature of the debris.
(B) A rounded rear wall 46 of the scoop 40 is attached to a lower rim 28 of the sleeve. This wall hydraulically directs both the suction from the vacuum tanker truck and the horizontal flow of debris and water in uniform patterns, which allows for single direction suction.
(C) The somewhat spoon-shaped main body 42 of the scoop catches debris and directs it rearward. The main body conforms to the circular shape of the pipes it is being used to clean. As a result, debris passes over an upper surface of the main body, while the lower surface of the main body prevents water flow beneath it, by fitting tightly against the bottom of the pipe being cleaned.
(D) A fence assembly 60 includes left and right segments. Each segment is welded along a lower edge to the left and right edges of the main body of the scoop, respectively. Additionally, the fence segments may be welded along a rear edge to a rear portion of the outer surface of the sleeve. The left and right fence segments allow water to pass, yet traps and redirects debris toward the debris inlet 34, defined between the main body of the scoop and the lower rim of the pipe 100.
(E) A reinforcement and adjustment assembly 80 includes left and right rods, each attached at a first end to an ear carried by an upper edge of each fence segment 60 and at a second end to a front side wall of the sleeve. Together, the rods prevent debris and the water moving the debris from bending the left and right fence segments. The adjustment portion of the rods allows the fence to have minor adjustments made to reflect the different pipe channels irregularities within the pipes being cleaned.
It is therefore a primary advantage of the present invention is to provide a novel sewer-cleaning tool for attachment to a suction tube extending from a mobile vacuum cleaning machine that includes an adjustable fence assembly having left and right fence segments which guide debris into an opening of the tube to which the sewer-cleaning tool is attached, but which allows water to pass through, thereby increasing the debris collected by the vacuum cleaning machine, while minimizing the water collected.
Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a novel sewer-cleaning tool for attachment to a suction tube extending from a mobile vacuum cleaning machine that allow vertical adjustment of a sleeve portion with respect to the pipe to which it is attached, thereby allowing the distance from a scoop portion of the sewer-cleaning tool to the pipe opening to be controlled. This allows the sewer-cleaning tool to be used in a variety of flow and debris conditions.
Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a novel sewer-cleaning tool for attachment to a suction tube extending from a mobile vacuum cleaning machine that provides a scoop having a generally spoon-shaped main body that conforms to the typical circular pipes bottom, that guides debris toward the opening of the tube to which the sewer-cleaning tool is connected.
Another advantage of the present invention is to provide a novel sewer-cleaning tool for attachment to a mobile vacuum cleaning tanker truck that provides a scoop that traps material too heavy for the vacuum portion of the mobile vacuum cleaning tanker truck to remove, and allows for removal of heavy debris by using a hydraulic tube lift mechanism associated with the mobile vacuum cleaning tanker truck.
A still further advantage of the present invention is to provide a novel sewer-cleaning tool that allows and draws water and debris from only one direction, thereby eliminating the inefficient removal of water from the downstream direction.
Other objectives, advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the specification and the accompanying drawings.